Sindhi in Belize


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Sindhi people are an ethnic group native to the former Sindh Province of the British colony of "India" which also included modern day Bangladesh and Pakistan. Today Sindh is one of the provinces of Pakistan. Most Sindhi peoples were originally Hindus or Buddhists, but the arrival of Muslim Arabs in the 7th century deeply influenced Sindhi religion and culture. Prior to 1947, Muslim and Hindu Sindhi lived together in the same region. Following the partition of India in 1947, most Hindu Sindhis migrated to present-day India, while many Muslim Sindhi emigrated to present-day Pakistan, where they are still referred to as muhajireen (refugees). This Muslim migration led Sunni Muslims to dominate Pakistan's Sindh Province. The Sindhi, named after the Sindhu (Indus) River, are also said to be one of the oldest people groups in Pakistan. Most of them have lived there for centuries and call themselves the pukka, or "real." Outside of Pakistan and India, Sindhi people are scattered all over the world, from the oil fields of the Middle East to the business centers of Hong Kong and Singapore to the Central American country of Belize.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Before the partition of Pakistan and India, the Hindu Sindhi owned most of the land. They also monopolized industry, trade, and education. The Muslim Sindhi were mostly unskilled laborers and tenants. However, when the Hindu Sindhi moved from Pakistan to India in 1947, the Sindhi culture was greatly affected. The vacuum that was created in Sindh Province was soon filled with educated Muslim Sindhi and Urdu from India. These Muslims quickly acquired a place of importance in Pakistan. A small number of the others have migrated to other parts of the world, including Belize.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Sindhi in Belize are considered 100 per cent Muslim. However, in their homeland of Pakistan, the majority of the rural Sindhi have no clear understanding of their Muslim faith and still believe in "folk spirits." Before 1947, many Hindu and Muslim practices were combined. For example, it was not uncommon for both Hindus and Muslims to venerate the same saint. Today, the practice of saint worship still persists. Two religious ceremonies are closely related to birth: naming the child and shaving its head. At the naming ceremony, the father whispers, "Allah is great," into the child's ear so that Allah's name is the first thing the child hears. The head-shaving ceremony seems to be a symbolic act of sacrifice. The young child's head is shaved, and the hair is buried along with the bones of a sacrificed goat. Though there are many Sindhi Muslims in Pakistan, and the Belize Sindhi are Muslim, other Sindhi who venture around the world are usually the Hindu Sindhis.


What Are Their Needs?

There are no known believers among the Sindhi in Belize. However, there are many Christian resources available in their Sindhi language—including the complete Bible, audio Bible recordings, the JESUS Film, and other audio-visual Bible-centered materials.


Prayer Points

Ask God to raise up prayer teams for the Sindhi who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession. Pray for called, equipped believers to go to the Sindhi of Belize to develop relationships with families, leading to a church planting movement that will bless these Muslims. Pray for effective distribution of the JESUS Film among the Sindhi. Ask God to anoint Christian broadcasts to be aired in the Sindhi language.


Scripture Prayers for the Sindhi in Belize.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Sindhi
People Name in Country Sindhi
Pronunciation SIN-dee
Alternate Names
Population this Country 6,700
Population all Countries 185,000
Total Countries 8
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 14192
ROP3 Code 109027
Map of Sindhi in Belize
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Sindhi (6,700 speakers)
Language Code snd   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Sindhi (6,700 speakers)
Language Code snd   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Sindhi

Primary Language:  Sindhi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1825-1981)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1890-1992)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1954)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Recorded oral Bible Oral Bibles
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Sindhi Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video The Hope Video Mars Hill Media
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Bible in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app: Sindhi YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Sindhi YouVersion Bibles
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Sindhi Literacy & Evangelism International
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Photo Source Khalid Mahmood - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group location: 2010 Belize Population Census (2010), Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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